Previews

Terminator 3: War of the Machines

With all the hoopla surrounding Arnold Schwarzenegger's bid to become governor of California, it's easy to forget that there are still a few Terminator 3-based video games featuring the movie star due later this year. One of those games is a Battlefield 1942-esque multiplayer shooter called Terminator 3: War of the Machines, which we previewed earlier this year when it was unveiled at E3 2003. We had a chance to see the game in action again at Atari's recent editors' day, and although there wasn't much in the way of new info, it appears that the game is progressing steadily towards a holiday 2003 release.

Set in a post-apocalyptic future of 2032 (after the events of Terminator 3), War of the Machines pits the human forces vs. the machines of SkyNet. Each side is broken down into four different classes with special abilities, and as is the trend these days, War of the Machines will also feature plenty of vehicles to play with. The game is being created by Budapest-based developer Clever's, which knows a few things about driving games, having also created games like Screamer 4x4 as well as having contributed to the Cabela's Off Road series.

Atari is quick to point out that while characters in Battlefield are more the less similar and defined by the weapons they carry, the two sides in War of the Machines will be radically different, as will the four classes that make up each team. The human resistance features "traditional" classes similar to other games like Team Fortress Classic and Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory. A "supply" class is able to drop health and perform medic duties, while a "scout" class carries a Special Forces sniper rifle. The "hunter" class is your basic all-around infantry class, while the "heavy hunter" packs more power with weapons like a plasma rifle, rocket launcher and mini-gun. These classes will also have varying hit points as well as other basic differences (speed, etc), as well as have access to a bit of robot technology.

The SkyNet machines also have four classes, but that's pretty much where the similarities end. First, there's the T900, an "unstoppable, stalking killer machine" that leans on plasma weapons. One of the more interesting classes is the FK -- the "flyer killer" from Terminator 3 -- a small airborne craft loaded with guns and rockets that can even maneuver through some buildings. The SkyNet forces also contain an "infiltrator" class, which essentially performs the "spy" role; you look like a human and can move amongst resistance forces undetected ... until you start shooting, that is. Sadly, it doesn't appear you'll be able to do any crazy shape shifting as in the movies, so don't expect to be morphing into Robert Patrick or Kristanna Loken or Maria Shriver at any point during a match. (There is an optional red HUD filter available for the Terminator classes, however, if you want to get the total "I am a Terminator" vibe going.)

The teams will also differ in terms of vehicles; after all, you wouldn't expect to see three or four T-900's driving around in a sedan. We didn't get to see many of the vehicles, but the human forces should lean towards the "small and quick" side, with Humvees as well as regular cars useful for transporting players around (or simply running away from Terminators). The SkyNet forces, on the other hand, won't have many vehicles available, but there will be at least one large transport available to the machines. The physics seemed a little stiff in the version we saw, so it's hard to say how well they'll play out when the game is released.

Getting some air in a jeep.

As for the game's 10 levels, most should follow similar themes, with lots of large, outdoor urban areas complete with half-destroyed buildings. There's a single-player component being included as well, where you'll play as Arnie through the five levels as part of SkyNet, and then the second five working for for the humans after being reprogrammed (Schwarzenegger has lent his voice talents to the game as well).

Most of the remaining work on War of the Machines should be dedicated to polishing the levels and balancing out all the classes, and the game appears to be on track for its holiday 2003 release. So even if Arnie doesn't become governor this fall, he can always go back to doing what he does best: blowing stuff up.